ALSA Fundraiser

This is the letter I wrote to our Christmas list this year:

Dear friends and family,

You may have heard that our sister Kim has been sick for several years with ALS. Our family participates in a fundraiser for the ALSA each year.

Recap: While attending college and working multiple jobs in Idaho, our sister Kim was diagnosed in 2000 with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. They believed she had had it since 1997, when she was 19 years old.

ALS is a neuromuscular disease that basically kills the cells that carry message from your brain to your muscles. There is no known cause or cure.

The ALS Association is a non profit organization that helps people who have ALS and the people who take care of them. They are the only not-for-profit voluntary health agency dedicated solely to the fight against ALS.

You may have also heard that Kim died this past April. Despite the fact that the fundraising we do now does not directly affect a member of our family, we still think it is important to raise money for the ALSA. Let’s just think of it as a “thank you” for the support they gave her all those years she suffered. There really is no way to repay them for all they did for her physically, emotionally, financially etc, but we might as well try to compensate somehow, right?

Here’s what we’re doing to raise money this year:

Recipes: Kim was always fabulous in the kitchen. In previous years’ fundraisers, Kim used family recipes to help raise money for the ALSA. This year, I am picking that back up. For a donation of $25 or more, you will get Kimbo’s Cookies, Kim’s own cookies recipe that everyone swears by. For a donation of $50 or more, you will get Kimbo’s Cookies and 3 of her favorite recipes that our mom made when we were growing up: Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos, Mom’s Peppered Beef Brisket, and Mom’s Rocking Potatoes Salad. Along with the recipes, you will also get a good dose of Kim’s sense of humor and an understanding of why she was loved by everyone she met.

Raffle: This year, we are having a raffle to show our appreciation for our supporters. Here’s how it works: If you sign up as a member (physical or virtual) of our team at web.alsa.org/goto/kimmysladybugs, you will get one entry into the raffle. For every $25 you donate or help raise, you will get one raffle ticket.

Example: If Mike N. signs up as a team member and his friend Bradley N. donates $50 under him, Mike gets 3 raffle entries (1 for signing up, 2 for raising $50) and Brad gets 2 raffle entries and all 4 recipes.

Raffle prizes: (2) Kimmy’s Favorite foods bundle from Wildtree All Natural Foods including Wildtree’s Alfredo Extraordinaire, So Quick and Easy Pizza Dough Mix, Scampi Blend, Lemon Lime Cheesecake Blend, and Heavenly Chocolate Mousse Mix. ($61 value each)

(1) Hanging glass and marble butterfly garden sculpture, from Kim’s own garden.

(1) Set of 2 carbon stainless steel Thomas Santoku kitchen knives.

(5) U.B. Funkeys: Starter kit with Lotus and Deuce.

(3) Disney Pirates of the Caribbean Mix Max Plus Media Player with MP3, game, photo, and video capabilities, 1GB memory. ($64 retail on Amazon.com)

And then some…

To donate: We would prefer if you visited our team website at web.alsa.org/goto/kimmysladybugs and made a secure donation through there. Because the walk is on the 23^rd of October, the last day to donate will be the 22^nd so we can have everything ready to go for the raffle which will take place directly after the walk.

Thank you in advance for any support you are willing to offer to this cause that is close to our hearts.

The Hansen Family